Charles Manson was 5' 2"
You know you're getting old when you start watching the Discovery Channel and you're thinking it's the best thing on tv, by far.
I caught a recap of the Charles Manson Helter Skelter murders in 1969 and I was glued to the set. Some of the reasons why:
1). They interviewed a couple of middle-aged women who were part of the cult, but not part of the murders. Talk about wanting to forget your past! The one lady couldn't help but cry when they showed her as a bald, 19-year-old with a red cross on her forehead, crawling to the courthouse. "Charlie had a hold on all of us," she said.
2). One lady escaped by walking 27 miles thru the desert to escape. She eventually testified against Manson's control - "I thought he had a line to god," she said.
3). The murders are still sensational, even by today's murder every other day standards. It's appalling to see the words on the walls in the victim's blood.
4). Manson is considered the face of pure evil - close your eyes - I bet you can see him - and he is currently 73 years old - he's still just 5'2" tall - and he still has hundreds of followers.
5). Which brings me to the idea that people will conform if they don't have anything else to believe in - Manson manipulated vulnerable kids looking for a way to make a difference. Which was scary, and is scary to parents all over the world because what kid at 16 or 17 isn't searching for some place to hang their hat. If I could have one wish granted for each of my children it would be simply that they are able to think for themselves.
People believe what they want to believe when it makes no sense at all.
There are so many willing just to accept what is fed them. That's what happened to the middle-aged women who were looking back at their time with Manson.
I just can't imagine that a man of such minimal standards - with his LSD and orgy parties could manipulate people into doing what they did - and that's why, I suppose, I spent an hour last night watching it. I had already read a couple of books on it, but I was still shocked to see it all play out again.
Here's hoping that there is never another Charlie.
I caught a recap of the Charles Manson Helter Skelter murders in 1969 and I was glued to the set. Some of the reasons why:
1). They interviewed a couple of middle-aged women who were part of the cult, but not part of the murders. Talk about wanting to forget your past! The one lady couldn't help but cry when they showed her as a bald, 19-year-old with a red cross on her forehead, crawling to the courthouse. "Charlie had a hold on all of us," she said.
2). One lady escaped by walking 27 miles thru the desert to escape. She eventually testified against Manson's control - "I thought he had a line to god," she said.
3). The murders are still sensational, even by today's murder every other day standards. It's appalling to see the words on the walls in the victim's blood.
4). Manson is considered the face of pure evil - close your eyes - I bet you can see him - and he is currently 73 years old - he's still just 5'2" tall - and he still has hundreds of followers.
5). Which brings me to the idea that people will conform if they don't have anything else to believe in - Manson manipulated vulnerable kids looking for a way to make a difference. Which was scary, and is scary to parents all over the world because what kid at 16 or 17 isn't searching for some place to hang their hat. If I could have one wish granted for each of my children it would be simply that they are able to think for themselves.
People believe what they want to believe when it makes no sense at all.
There are so many willing just to accept what is fed them. That's what happened to the middle-aged women who were looking back at their time with Manson.
I just can't imagine that a man of such minimal standards - with his LSD and orgy parties could manipulate people into doing what they did - and that's why, I suppose, I spent an hour last night watching it. I had already read a couple of books on it, but I was still shocked to see it all play out again.
Here's hoping that there is never another Charlie.
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